Are you spending a few hours a day at your desk? The way you sit has a lot to do with how you shoulders feel by the end of the day. Achy, tired, heavy shoulders, tension headaches and stiff neck have something to tell you about sitting posture.
Last week in one of the Therapeutic Yoga for Hips and Shoulders classes we experimented with different sitting arrangements and the way our posture changes our perception of the environment. Are you ready to play?
Start by sitting on exercise ball or a yoga bolster.
Closing your eyes, take a few deep breaths to center yourself and prepare for this exploration.
Now, allowing your attention to move through your body, notice where the weight of your body falls – right over your sit bones, behind them or in front of them.
With your eyes open, explore these three different arrangements: moving the weight of your body behind your sit bones, notice what changes that brings to your posture. Then move you weight right over the sit bones, and again, observe the effect on the rest of your body. Finally, shift your weight slightly ahead of your sit bones; again, notice the alignment of your body. What did you feel? Where were you most comfortable? Where you felt most supported? Most open? In which position you had most freedom in your shoulders? How about your breath?
Now, taking this experiment to a subtler level: relax, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in mildly aggravating social situation. Again, go through these three different sitting positions. How did your perception of the same situation change with each one? Where did you feel stronger? More supported? More open?
Science behind our experiment:
Sitting with the weight distributed slightly ahead of your sit bones creates a widest and deepest base of support for your body. In fact, if you position your pubic bone and your tail bone on the same horizontal plane, about 40% or your weight will rest on your legs and feet, with the other 60% distributed through your pelvis.
Your lumbar spine will now curve forward to generate a lift in your chest and shoulders; this in turn will generate a more elevated position for your head. The curve in the lumbar spine will also give you more room to breathe, more space for your digestive organs to function and will take the pressure off your tail bone and sacrum.
Healthy sitting requires our bodies to be flexible in the hips, spine, shoulders, chest and neck. In turn, this way of sitting supports and fosters more flexibility and strength. If this way of sitting is new to you, practice it to the extent you can – starting with just a few minutes a day. Little by little, your muscles and fascia will adjust to your new, healthy position. Happy sitting!
References:
Bond, Mary. The New Rules of Posture. Rochester, Vermont.: Healing Arts Press, 2007
